By GEORGE MORSE
Sports and Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post
Summer is winding down. Soon, high school athletes will begin practicing for their fall sports seasons with most schools beginning the 2021-2022 school year by the end of August. Families will be getting out and going on what could be their final chance at a family camping trip.
Fishing conditions heading into August are the best they have been in several years. Beneficial monsoon rains have kept streamflow high and water temperatures cooler this year. The land looks greener than it has in recent years when we were plagued with drought.
Reservations for camping sites at New Mexico State Parks may be made by calling 877-667-7787 for reservations. Some campsites may be open on a first come, first served basis. It is beneficial to check the state parks website for conditions at individual state parks if you are planning a trip to one of them. The website is: www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/FindaPark.html.
For reservations at National Forest campgrounds and on other federal lands, call 877-444-6777 or visit the website: www.recreation.gov.
Fenton Lake State Park in the Jemez Mountains is open. The lake has not been stocked since June 8 and the fishing is just fair. Camping is allowed by reservation only. Fenton also has wild brown trout and Rio Grande cutthroat trout from an earlier stocking. Only two cutthroat trout may be kept per-day as part of the five-trout-per-day bag limit. Call (575) 829-3630 for current conditions at Fenton.
The Rio Cebolla below Fenton Lake is stocked with rainbow trout and has wild brown trout. It was stocked July 14 with 400 rainbow trout.
San Gregorio Lake is open. The fishing is reported as slow-to-fair. It has not yet been stocked this year. This lake requires anglers to park and hike in. There are reports of vehicles being broken into at the parking area. Lock your vehicles and secure your valuables.
The Seven Springs Brood Pond is open. It is also known as the Kid’s Pond. It was last stocked July 7 with 919 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 100 rainbow trout averaging 17.1 inches in size. There are a few big brown trout in this pond. A 30-inch brown trout was caught here recently. The fishing is for anglers under 12 years old.
The trout fishing has been fair in the Jemez River. The streamflow is now 29.9 cubic-feet-per-second. This is close to average. The fish are concentrated in deeper pools and are active due to higher flows.
The smaller streams in the Jemez Mountains are higher and benefiting from recent rains. The San Antonio River was stocked July 21 with 158 rainbow trout. All the streams in the Jemez Mountains have wild brown trout.
Eagle Nest Lake State Park is open and boating conditions are listed as good. Rainbow trout fishing is picking up. The fishing for perch has been good. Some big northern pike are being landed. Some good-sized kokanee salmon are being caught. A potential new state-record kokanee weighing 5 pounds was caught recently. As the summer progresses, bank fishing may be difficult due to weed growth. Fishing from a boat may be better. For more information and current conditions, call (575) 377-1594.
Heron Lake State Park is open. Boating conditions are described as fair. Trolling lures for rainbow trout and kokanee salmon has been good. Bank fishing should be at least fair for rainbow trout and some kokanee salmon. The lake level is rising. Sierra Vista and La Laja boat ramps are open.
El Vado Lake has rainbow trout, brown trout, perch and small smallmouth bass. Trout fishing may be slow. Call (575) 588-7470 for conditions at both Heron Lake and El Vado Lake. The main park is now open at El Vado Lake. Boating conditions are described as poor. The main boat ramp is open. Water level is low.
Abiquiu Lake is open, including the boat ramp and picnic areas. The campground is open. Camping is by reservation only. It is managed by the Corps of Engineers. Reservations may be made at www.reservation.gov.
The water level is low at Abiquiu. A four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for launching boats. The fishing has been fair-to-good for walleye. The fishing is slow-to-fair for smallmouth bass. Fishing for panfish is fair. Trout have likely moved to deeper water. Night fishing for catfish may be worth a try. Call 505-685-4371 for more information.
The Chama River below Abiquiu Dam is flowing at 196 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a better flow for fishing. The water here is murky. The fishing could be at least fair for stocked and holdover rainbow trout. There are some big, wild brown trout here. Fly Fishermen should use flies with a little flash to them. The limit here is two-fish-per-day.
The Chama River below El Vado Dam is flowing at 506 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing has been fair-to-good for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. The state-record brown trout was caught here.
The streamflow in the Chama River above El Vado Lake is steady and fishing conditions improving. The streamflow at La Puente is 48.3 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing conditions are good, and some big trout will be caught now. It was stocked July 15 with 2,086 rainbow trout.
The nearby Brazos River is experiencing falling streamflow conditions and is flowing at 36.7 cubic-feet-per-second. It has not been stocked but fishing should be fair-to-good for holdover rainbow trout and wild brown trout.
Laguna del Campo near Los Ojos is open. Fishing is for anglers under 14 years of age or 65 years old and older. It is open sunrise to sunset and the daily limit is three fish-per-day.
Santa Cruz Lake near Chimayo is currently open Thursday-Sunday from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm. The Overlook campground is open. The North Shore campground is closed. The fishing has been good here thanks to above-average flows from the Santa Cruz River keeping the water level high. The boat ramp is open. It is stocked with good-size rainbow trout and has wild brown trout. The fishing has held up well here, but the trout will likely be moving to deeper water. The water level here will steadily drop during the summer. For updated conditions, check the Bureau of Land Management website at: blm.gov/visit/santa-cruz-lake-recreation-area.
The Cimarron River in Cimarron Canyon State Park is open. Fishing has been fair for rainbow and brown trout. It was stocked July 12 with 2,424 rainbow trout. Streamflow below Eagle Nest Dam is 5.94 cubic-feet-per-second. The flow picks up downstream and is at 16.6 cubic-feet-per-second near the town of Cimarron.
The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick campground were last stocked July 12, and the fishing has been good.
Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton is open daily. Lake Alice and Lake Maloya are now open for fishing. Camping is available by reservation only. Lake Alice is a small lake, and the fishing is primarily for recently stocked rainbow trout. Lake Maloya is bigger and can produce larger, holdover trout. It was last stocked July 12 with 400 rainbow trout averaging 14.6 inches in size. Call (575) 445-5607 for current conditions.
Morphy Lake State Park near Mora was opened March 1 after being closed for more than a year. There is no overnight camping here and it is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. It has been heavily stocked since reopening. It was last stocked July 15, and the fishing has been good. There are some cutthroat trout here. Only two cutthroat trout may be kept per-day as part of a five-fish limit.
Clayton Lake and the Charette Lakes are now open for fishing. The fishing has been pretty good for some nice-sized holdover rainbow trout at Lower Charette Lake. The Charette Lakes are located between Wagon Mound and Springer.
Clayton Lake State Park is now open daily with camping by reservation only. It is stocked with rainbow trout. It also has some big walleye and a few trophy-size largemouth bass. There are also catfish here. Due to warming water temperatures, it is unlikely that Clayton Lake will be stocked with trout again until later this fall. This is a trophy bass lake where the daily limit is two bass-per-day 14 inches in size or longer. The state-record walleye was caught at Clayton Lake. The boat ramp is closed. At Clayton Lake, be sure to check out the Dinosaur Tracks.
Maxwell Lake 13 on the Maxwell Lakes National Wildlife Refuge practically dried up last fall and will need to be restocked.
Stubblefield Lake is low. The state-record channel catfish was caught here. The fishing for catfish has been good.
Cochiti Lake is open. Fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass has been fair-to-good. Catfish and northern pike are being caught as well. The boat ramp is open. Reservations are no longer needed to enter the lake. Camping reservations can be made at www.recreation.gov. They are not sold at the lake. The Tetilla Peak Recreation Area is closed. This lake is managed by the Corps of Engineers.
Storrie Lake State Park is open. Camping is available by reservation only. It’s likely at least fair for stocked trout. There are some big catfish in this lake, too. Call (505) 425-7278 for conditions.
Hopewell Lake between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla is open, as is the nearby campground. The fishing has been fair-to-good. It was last stocked with rainbow trout July 1 and has wild brook trout.
The Canjilon Lakes and the Trout Lakes near Cebolla are open and accessible. Forest service roads may have some muddy conditions. The fishing is much better after they are stocked. The Canjilon Lakes were stocked July 1 and the Trout Lakes were stocked June 7 with rainbow trout. There are a few brook trout in the upper Canjilon Lake.
The Lagunitas Lakes were last stocked June 28 with 2,299 rainbow trout. This was the first stocking of the year here.
Over in the Four Corners Navajo Lake State Park is open. Camping is by reservation only. The bass fishing has been good. The fishing for northern pike has been fair-to-good. Trout fishing has slowed down. Check at the marina to see if the kokanee salmon have schooled up in deeper water and can be caught trolling. The trolling for kokanee has been good at about 30 feet. Be sure to tip the hooks of your lures with corn. The salmon will drop deeper as summer progresses. Boating conditions are good. Call (505) 632-2278 for conditions
Bluewater Lake State Park is open. Boating conditions are listed as good. Camping is allowed by reservation only. The trout fishing is slow. Tiger muskies are being caught and the fishing for them has been good using big crank baits and waterdogs. Fishing for catfish is fair using hot dogs. Call (505) 876-2391 for current conditions.
The Rio de los Pinos near the Colorado border was running high but is now dropping. It was stocked July 20 with 1,800 rainbow trout. Fly fishing conditions are good.
The Rio Grande streamflow is 301 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. This is well-below normal. The fishing has been fair-to-good for rainbow and brown trout. Bait is your best choice under murky conditions. Spinners may work too. Beadhead nymphs are good for fly casters. Anglers should start catching smallmouth bass in the Pilar area.
From the Colorado state line downstream to the Taos Junction Bridge, the limit is two-fish-per-day in the Rio Grande.
The streamflow in the Rio Pueblo near Penasco is 31.6 cubic-feet-per-second. The flow has been steady. The fishing could be fair-to-good for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout.
The pond at Sipapu was last stocked June 10 with rainbow trout.
The Red River near the Red River Fish Hatchery is flowing at 73.4 cubic-feet-per-second. The fishing is normally fair-to-good here. The Red River above Questa was stocked July 21 with 2,700 rainbow trout. It was flowing at 62.5 cubic-feet-per-second. The East Fork of the Red River was stocked with 150 rainbow trout July 15 and the West Fork of the Red River was stocked with 149 rainbow trout.
The Red River City Ponds were stocked July 15 with 411 catchable-size rainbow trout. The limit here is three fish per-day
The Red River Hatchery Pond is now open and was stocked July 22 with 400 catchable-size rainbow trout and 80 rainbow trout averaging 16.5 inches in size. The fishing here is for anglers under 14 years-of-age and over 65 years old. The limit here is three fish per-day
Eagle Rock Lake near Questa is open. This little lake is right off the highway between Questa and Red River. It was stocked July 21 with 499 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 54 rainbow trout averaging 16.1 inches in size. Fishing should be fair-to-good.
Goose Lake, a popular high-elevation lake near Red River, was stocked June 30 with 403 rainbow trout. The limit here is three fish per-day.
The Rio Costilla from Latir Creek to the boundary of the Valle Vidal is catch-and-release with flies and lures having a single, barbless hook. In the Valle Vidal, the State Game and Fish Department is conducting a project in the Rio Costilla from the Valle Vidal boundary upstream to Costilla Dam that includes the removal of fish and restocking in 2022 with Rio Grande cutthroat trout. The Rio Costilla below Latir Creek was stocked July 19 with 400 rainbow trout.
The Shuree Ponds on the Valle Vidal opened for fishing July 1. They were stocked July 13 with 500 rainbow trout averaging 14.9 inches in size. Fishing here is with flies and lures with a single, barbless hook. The limit is two fish-per-day.
The best river in the state and well-known throughout the angling world is the San Juan River below Navajo Dam. The streamflow here is 485 cubic-feet-per-second. This is below normal. It offers world-class fly fishing for big trout.
The fishing has been good with a variety of fly patterns in the Quality Water. The fishing here is catch-and-release with flies and lures having a single, barbless hook. The Quality Water is stocked with small rainbow trout that grow quickly in the fertile waters. There are big, wild brown trout in the Quality Water that are not adverse to gobbling up their smaller rainbow brethren. Some of these fish would likely shatter the state record if they could be kept and weighed.
The fishing in the Bait Water of the San Juan below the Quality Water has been fair-to-good with flies, bait and lures. A regular daily limit of five trout may be kept here. A 30-inch brown trout was caught recently. It was stocked twice last week with a total of 3,318 rainbow trout.
Coyote Creek State Park near Guadalupita is open. It was last stocked June 24 with 439 rainbow trout. The Coyote Creek Pond was stocked June 24 with 600 rainbow trout.
The Pecos River above the town of Pecos is running high thanks to recent rains. The streamflow at Pecos was 221 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week and well-above normal. The fishing has been fair for stocked rainbow trout and wild brown trout. The Pecos River between the town of Pecos and Cowles was stocked twice last week with a total of almost 3,000 rainbow trout.
The Cowles Ponds were stocked July 22 with 179 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 21 rainbow trout averaging 13.8 inches in size.
Holy Ghost Creek in the Pecos drainage was stocked July 20 with 400 rainbow trout. The Mora fork of the Pecos River was stocked July 21 with 400 rainbow trout. It also has wild brown trout.
The Gallinas River near Las Vegas is running very high and will be difficult to fish. The streamflow was 87.2 cubic-feet-per-second. Some good-sized holdover trout have been caught. It was stocked July 15 with 1,000 rainbow trout. The Gallinas Ice Pond was stocked July 15 with 200 rainbow trout.
Monastery Lake is open to fishing. It was stocked July 22 with 900 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 95 rainbow trout averaging 13.8 inches in size. Please pick up your trash here as this is private property and should be respected. Fishing here is possible through the State Game and Fish Department’s Open Gate program. This lake is very crowded on weekends.
